By Lincoln DePradine

Ace Trinidad and Tobago arranger Duvone Stewart selected Mical Teja’s song, “DNA”, and it earned BP Renegades Steel Orchestra a first place tie – with All Stars – at the country’s 2024 panorama competition.

Another talented arranger, Rudo Forteau, is optimistic that he could repeat the magical victory embodied in “DNA”, which is the tune of choice for Pan Masters that will be participating in this year’s panorama in Toronto.

Last year, Pan Masters were second to Pan Fantasy. Forteau believes this year will be different with his arrangement of “DNA”.

He said he has been “feeling the song’’ ever since it was first released by Mical Teja.

“That’s a song that means something to me; being in Canada in the cold, you want to go home, go to carnival and meet the people,” Forteau told The Caribbean Camera. “It’s nostalgic; that’s why I chose DNA. I always knew that’s a song that I want to do.”

Forteau made the comments at a Pan Masters’ event last Saturday at the band’s headquarters on Brimley Road in Scarborough.

Band members and supporters gathered for a fundraiser, with proceeds to help defray the cost of the orchestra’s planned performance on the road at this year’s Toronto Carnival.

Pan Masters was founded almost 40 years ago years ago by Tommy Crichlow, a veteran pannist, arranger, and pan tuner and teacher.

The winner of several pan awards, Crichlow began playing the instrument at age nine in Trinidad, where he performed with bands such as Tripoli and Silver Stars.

Crichlow, who was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago contingent at Expo ’67 in Montreal, no longer arranges for Pan Masters as he once did. However, at 82, he remains an active band member, playing the guitar pan.

He described Forteau’s arrangement of DNA as “extremely powerful’’, saying Pan Masters stand an excellent chance of winning the Toronto panorama.

“I know that we could do it. The song has that ambience and amount of arrangement that we could win with it,” said Crichlow, a recording artiste who plays other instruments including the piano.

He commended Forteau not only on his arranging skills, but also for his ability to “bring people to the band; people follow him”.

Crichlow said Pan Masters expect close to 80 members in the band for panorama, which is August 2.

For the past several years, the pan competition has been hosted at Lamport Stadium.

But, organizers have announced a change of venue for this year. The panorama now will be at Exhibition Place, 100 Princes Boulevard.

Pan Fantasy has won every panorama hosted since 2012. None was held for three consecutive years – 2020 to 2022 – during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Forteau said that his arrangement of “DNA” is finished, he said.

“My job is done. I can’t play all the pans. So, it’s now the players to come and drill and execute,” said Forteau.

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter